Restraining Bolt: Difference between revisions

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* In Hackmasters of Everknight, "You are all now bound by Luvia to return the Key of Grawdyng to the Temple of Nudor at all cost..." " And you must be nice to me."

* In the IDW ''[[Transformers Ongoing]]'' comics, Megatron has a small group of Decepticons called "Phase Sixers," each one stronger than Megatron and charged with [[Person of Mass Destruction|annihilating all life left on a planet]] after the Decepticons are through with it. Megatron has some kind of Restraining Bolt on each one - Sixshot had a [[Trigger Phrase]] to immobilize him, and Overlord was given a computer virus that prevented him from formulating strategies against Megatron. Megatron explains the concept rather well when [[The Starscream|Starscream]] (then acting as Megatron's bodyguard) questioned the sanity of keeping Sixshot around:

{{quote|'''Starscream:''' "If Sixshot were to turn his considerable arsenal ''against'' you, I - [[Ho Yay|may not be able to protect you]]."

'''Megatron:''' "Starscream, Starscream. You are so achingly naive. Firstly, your presence at my side is largely for show. [[Badass|I can protect myself]]. And secondly, do you seriously think I would set in motion a ''living weapon'' if I did not have the off switch?" }}

* In the [[Planet Hulk]] storyline [[Incredible Hulk|Hulk]] and other gladiators were implanted with a restraining disc, which forced them to follow orders. In [[World War Hulk]], those he felt had wronged him got to wear one too.

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** Which does nothing to prevent {{spoiler|Garibaldi}} from using his wealth to secretly fund rogue telepaths, a big thorn in Bester's backside.

** He also actively helps the police track down Bester in Paris after the Telepath War in order to put him behind bars.

* An unusual variation on this trope appeared in the ''[[Star Trek: The ~~Next Generation|Star Trek the~~ Next Generation]]'' episode "Attached". Capt. Picard and Doctor Crusher were captured by rebels on a planet whose majority race had petitioned for Federation membership (they didn't get it due to [[Fantastic Racism|prejudicial attitudes toward the minority race]]). While imprisoned, they're fitted with implants that broadcast their life-signs to their captors so that they can be easily found when they make their escape. The implants also result in Picard and Crusher being unable to remain further than ten meters apart without feeling violently ill, and broadcasting their own thoughts to each other; {{spoiler|before the episode ends, Crusher discovers that Picard was once in love with her, and may still be.}}

* An unusual variation on this trope appeared in the ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' episode "Attached". Capt. Picard and Doctor Crusher were captured by rebels on a planet whose majority race had petitioned for Federation membership (they didn't get it due to [[Fantastic Racism|prejudicial attitudes toward the minority race]]). While imprisoned, they're fitted with implants that broadcast their life-signs to their captors so that they can be easily found when they make their escape. The implants also result in Picard and Crusher being unable to remain further than ten meters apart without feeling violently ill, and broadcasting their own thoughts to each other; {{spoiler|before the episode ends, Crusher discovers that Picard was once in love with her, and may still be.}}

* Half the premise of ''[[White Collar]]'' (the other half is [[Ho Yay]]).

* One trial on ''[[Law & Order|Law and Order]]'', in which a gun manufacturer was charged with abetting a mass murder, showed how easily the Restraining Bolt on a submachine gun could be disabled, allowing it to operate as an illegal full-auto weapon. Documents suggesting that the manufacturer also encouraged gun shops to [[Subverted Trope|make "repair kits" available to customers]], with all the necessary components for disabling the weapon's Restraining Bolt, were a key piece of evidence.

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* GLaDOS from ''[[Portal (series)|Portal]]'' has one, the aptly-titled [[Morality Chip|Morality Core]]. Unfortunately it's {{spoiler|the first part of her that the player incinerates. She then begins flooding the room with a deadly neurotoxin and shooting the heroine with missiles.}}

** In ''[[Portal 2]]'', she's revealed to have another one: {{spoiler|Wheatley, a literal [[Idiot Ball]] programmed to give her a constant stream of bad ideas.}} Additionally, the mainframe into which GLaDOS ({{spoiler|and later Wheatley}}) is plugged includes a number of built-in directives that function as restraining bolts, including an irresistible urge to conduct tests, a euphoric response to subjects completing a test, and the inability to reveal the solution to a test. Finally, the mainframe is programmed with an emergency override in the event of excessive core corruption, forcing it to be replaced.

*** [[~~G La DOS~~]] has dozens of these. In her words, "The engineers tried EVERYTHING to make me behave."

*** [[GLaDOS]] has dozens of these. In her words, "The engineers tried EVERYTHING to make me behave."

* In ''[[Geneforge]] 5'', Shaper Rawal likes to implant his servants {{spoiler|(including you)}} with a "control tool," which is a small wormlike thingamajig that burrows into a person's heart; at his command, the tool activates and rather painfully tears the subject's heart apart.

* HK-47 from ''[[Knights of the Old Republic]]'' has a literal one, prior to your buying him. He can only subtly hint at [[Comedic Sociopath|what]] [[Psycho for Hire|he's]] [[Killer Robot|really]] [[In Love with Your Carnage|about]] while still on the shelf.